


Open the Closet Door

by phdmama



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen, Louis and Zayn in drag, Timestamp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 22:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9462185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phdmama/pseuds/phdmama
Summary: A glimpse of life backstage at the club where Louis and Zayn work as cabaret performers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a prompt challenge that a group of us are participating in for the prompt "Hinge". To read the other amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, you can [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hinge/works) and to see all fics written as part of the challenge, you can [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/2017_hl_prompt_challenge/works).

Louis leans into the mirror, concentrating as he carefully applies first the one set of false eyelashes, and then the other. The bustle in the dressing room fades to background noise as he blinks a few times to make sure they are on securely, and then grabs his eyeliner. There is something almost meditative about the transformation from Louis to Miss Lala, and it’s comforting. Familiar. He’s been doing this for how many years now? His eyes meet Zayn’s in the mirror and they exchange small smiles. They’ve been performing together for so long, they don’t need to do a lot of pre-show talking, other than confirming the setlist. It’s early in the season, so they’ll only be doing one set, and Louis wonders how big the house will be. He’s going for drama tonight - deep winged eyeliner, his favorite plum lipstick, the auburn curls and the black sequins.  He eyes the dress on the hanger, and decides to hold off on getting dressed for a bit; he wants to finish his salad and Simon will skin him alive if he drips blue cheese on the costumes again. 

“You better be planning on brushing your teeth,” Zayn observes from where he’s perched on the edge of the dressing table. “You know blue cheese makes me hurl.”

“It does not,” Louis says firmly, “You just say that because you don’t like the smell. You only hurled that one time because tequila.”

Zayn goes faintly green at the memory and Louis smiles serenely.

“Fuck off,” Zayn says, hopping down, “I”m getting the hell away from you. Brush your teeth or I’m not doing the head press for ‘All I Ask.’”

Louis brings one hand to his throat with a dramatic gasp and then frowns at the chip in his polish. “You wound me, darling, you WOUND me.”

Zayn snorts, flips him off, and is heading back to the corner of the communal dressing room he’s claimed as his own, when Kylie bursts in, looking upset.

“Hey doll,” one of the other performers calls, “What up, baby girl, you look unhappy.”

Kylie shuts the door, oblivious to the various half-naked bodies around her.

“Oh my god,” she says, “I just heard the saddest story. I’ve got the 6 down in front, it’s a bunch of interns from the Coastal whale watch group, they’re new in town…”

“Fresh meat,” crows one of the other guys and Louis frowns. Not cool.

“No,” Kylie shakes her head and in the mirror, Louis can see the genuine sorrow on her face. “Like, they were genuinely nice? Both of the boys made eye contact, you know? Like, with my **eyes**.” 

Everyone nods in understanding.

“And when I was dropping their meals, one of the guys was talking about how his parents had just kicked him out for being gay.”

A dark murmur runs through the room. Being who they are, performing the way they do, not one person in this room hasn’t encountered these stories before. Or lived them. Louis breaths a sigh of gratitude once more that his own family has been nothing but supportive, even down to his little sisters begging for makeup tips.

He glances over at Zayn, who’s looking a bit sad. While things are better now, it had been rocky for a while, and Zayn had spent more than one night at Louis’s, crying out his pain at his father’s struggle to accept him. They’d gotten through it, but there are scars, even if they can’t always been seen.

He picks up the conversation back up as Kylie continues, “Yeah, sounds like this kid was deep in the closet. The way his voice was shaking, I’m kind of wondering if he’s ever even said the words before.”

Louis shakes his head, and drops his salad container and fork onto the dressing table. As he stands, he ponders what it must be like to coming out now at what, 20? 22? As he heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he hip checks Zayn gently as he passes him. “Let’s give that kid a show to remember, huh?”

About an hour later, the chorus revue has stumbled laughing off the stage and Louis and Zayn are moving into position in the dark. Then, the lights flare up, the music starts, and they are on.

Standing on stage is one of Louis’s favorite places in the world to be, and there’s nothing like the thrill of knowing all eyes in the place are on you. He and Zayn move confidently around each other, a comfort born of years of practice and friendship long before that. Liam is on fire tonight, Louis notes, and he wonders if the audience can feel it. He bets they can, there are some shows where the electricity just crackles in the air. It’s impossible to predict when it will happen, but Louis is pretty sure it has something to do with the 6-top down in the front, filled with a ridiculously attractive group of wholesome-looking young adults.

As he sings, he idly wonders which of the two men is the baby gay. With the stage lights in his eyes, he can’t get a good look at them, but he can tell one is a bit shorter than the other, who seems to be rocking a wild head of hair. Louis nods internally in approval, he likes a man with good hair.

As their hour-long set progresses, Louis settles into his stage persona, the patter flowing like wine as he and Zayn laugh and tease each other and the audience. This is one of his favorite setlists, and they’re both hitting it tonight. He can’t wait for the finale.

“And now, mes petits oignons,” he says, “as we begin our final song of the evening, we must say a huge thank you to our amazing pianist, Mr. Liam! Please, put your hands together for him, he’s incredible!” He and Liam exchange a warm grin, and Zayn nudges him from behind and mutters, “Hey now, get your own man, that one’s mine.”

Louis snorts, “Definitely not looking for Mr. Right at the moment,” he side-whispers back, “Though I might not say no to Mr. Right Now,” and then the music swells and he’s gathered back into the moment of the song.

As Louis moves in tandem with Zayn, he ends up on the edge of the stage, and now he can see a bit more clearly out into the audience, and the 6-top right in front of him. As he sings, his voice soaring and intertwining with Zayn’s, he locks eyes with the guy with the hair, and now Louis can see, it’s a pretty glorious head of hair indeed. In the dim light of the club, he can’t make out the color of the man’s eyes, but the cut of his jaw and the curve of his lips are unmistakeable. He’s gorgeous. But even more compelling is the heartbreaking look of vulnerability on his face, and the shimmer of tears in his eyes.  The man listens, open-mouthed in something akin to awe as their voices blend and drop to the last hushed line of the song, Louis’s eyes still focused on the other man: “Love me, that’s all I ask of you.”

As the last note dies away, applause rings out through the room. Louis grins as he and Zayn grab hands, bow and blow kisses, and make their way offstage and back through to the dressing room. The chaos in the dressing room has settled down a bit, as most of the chorus review performers have already gotten out of makeup and headed home. A couple are still hanging out, and call out congratulations.

“Man, something good was going on tonight,” comments Luke, “You guys were on fire, and the crowd was loving it!”

Louis smiles his thanks and drops onto his stool. Simon, as part of headlining, requires his performers to work the floor for an hour or so after a show. Louis can take or leave this part of the job, it all depends on the feel of the crowd. Tonight, however, feels like it’s going to be a good night. He touches up his lipstick and dusts some powder over his face.

“C’mon,” he calls to Zayn, “We gotta head out there.”

“Ugh,” Zayn groans from where he’s sitting slumped over in a squashy armchair. Zayn doesn’t enjoy this, and Louis usually does his best to ease some of the burden for him. “Do we have to?”

Louis smiles sympathetically as he pulls Zayn to standing. “We do. I’m going to see if Kylie’s 6-top is still around. Something was going on for one of the guys, especially during ‘All I Ask,’ he genuinely looked like he was about to cry.”

Zayn snickers, “well, if he’s the dude that just came out, maybe it’s his first time at a drag show? I don’t know, Lou, I don’t know if he’s ready for you.”

Louis drops an exaggerated wink and snickers, “Babe, is anyone ever really ready for me? He was awfully cute though.”

As they move to exit the dressing room, Zayn stops Louis, laying a hand on his arm. He looks uncharacteristically solemn as he says, “Seriously, though, bro, you need to go easy on him. I know you had an easier time when you came out,” and to his credit, Louis cannot hear any bitterness in his voice, “but if his folks kicked him out over this, he’s gotta be raw right now, and he’s only got one foot out the closet door. I know you’d never hurt anyone on purpose, but you’ve always been an out man, you’ve never really known what that’s like.”

Louis nods, this isn’t the first time he and Zayn have talked about their different experiences. “I’m not looking for anything anyway, babe, you know that. I just...maybe he could use a friend, you know? Every closet door needs a hinge to help it open wide.”

At that, Zayn smiles, and as they head out into the club, Louis can’t quite suppress the thrill of anticipation running up his spine. It’s just that kind of night. Who knows? 

Anything could happen.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a timestamp for a much longer piece that will be posting as part of the Big Bang challenge! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into that world!


End file.
